Stand up for America: Take care of your pets

Vicki Berkley, manager of Walter’s World of Pets, says one way to be kind to your animals is by trying to understand them.

“I try to put myself in the animal’s place to where I understand its behavior and needs,” she said. “And the basics — to not hurt them but being kind — is to put yourself in the animal’s place and to give it the proper care.”

Being kind to your animals includes providing good housing, nutrition, positive reinforcement and lots of love. Richard Evans, owner of Pets Plus, says one kind thing he sees pet owners do is buy special treats or toys for birthdays and anniversaries.

“Pets love attentention and we do sometimes see owners will actually get into special occasions,” he said. “As much interaction as you can have with your pet is good for the animal and good for you.”

Carla Siegel, a veterinary technican at Acres North Veterinary Hospital, says you should also try to keep your animals as pain free as possible. Berkely reccomends calling your veterinarian if you have any questions.

“Sometimes if it’s not a dog or a cat, people don’t think they need a vet, but that’s what they’re there for,” she said. “They’ll call us first and we always refer them.”

Taking proper care of your pets has many benefits, including reduced health risks and better quality of life.

“I really think people should be more responsible for their pets,” Siegel said. Ways to be responsible for them include picking up after them on walks and getting them spayed and neutered.

“Of course, no one likes to see dog poop around, but I don’t think that’s a terribly bad problem in Lubbock. The things that are a lot more widespread and would make a difference, especially on dogs and cats, would be to get them fixed,” Evans said. “There’s a time of year when there are a lot of kittens around and we get six to 10 phone calls a day from people wanting to give us their kittens.”

Getting your animals spayed and neutered not only stops them from reproducing, it can also lower the risks of some cancers.

“On males, it helps prevent testicular cancer,” Siegel said. “On females, it helps lower estrogen. There’s more estrogen as age goes along and with it, the more risk of mammary cancer. It also prevents pyrometra, a form of uterine cancer.”

Other health-related responsiblities include keeping your animals up to date on their vaccinations. One disease, feline leukemia, can be prevented by vaccinations. But the most important disease your animals should be vaccinated for is rabies.

“Rabies is something humans can get,” Siegel said. “It protects the human side as well as the animal side.”

But you can be kind to animals even if you don’t have any pets. If you see a stray animal, take it to either the pound or the vet, said Misty Green, a veterinary technician at Kingsgate Animal Hospital. “It cuts down on them being hit on the street.”

If the animal appears ill or severely injured, take the animal to the vet immediately. Be careful though, as some animals may be aggressive or have rabies. Some ways to tell if an animal has rabies are if it acts either dazed or very aggressive.